The present invention relates to apparatus and methods adapted to improve reading skills, and particularly, to methods and apparatus which are useful in training children and other beginning or unskilled readers in acquiring and improving reading skills.
According to the invention, selected materials are used with a special apparatus in a predetermined, controlled sequence. The student is first acquainted with identified or control words which are then used in sentences, in stories, or in verse. The student is helped to identify individual syllables and words, and is forced to concentrate by increasing the accuracy of fixation, to work within a broader range or greater degree of flexibility, thus increasing his accommodation, and also to improve his visual motor function, or the ability of the eyes to move smoothly and rhythmically across a page containing printed words.
An excellent reader is one whose eyes combine and coordinate distinctly different functions, and who is able to perform such functions at maximum speed, with proper coordination between the functions.
For example, an ideal reader is one whose eyes rapidly and accurately fix upon the print so that the material to be absorbed, and only this material (to the exclusion of other material) is seen by the eyes and accurately fixed in the mind. Thus, the eyes of such a reader will perceive everything within a desired span or area with great accuracy in the minimum amount of time.
In such a person, the eyes accommodate themselves, either instinctively or by training, to different spans or scopes of material to be read, and the mind recognizes the meaning of the words or word groups perceived. Still further, after each fixation, during which the eyes accommodate themselves to the material to be viewed, the visual motor function comes into play such that the eyes, working together, move rapidly on to the next set of words to be read, again fix themselves accurately thereon, and so on.
It has been frequently demonstrated, and is acknowledged to be true, that words or groups of words can be perceived by a properly trained reader in as little as 1/100th of a second or less; that is, even when a word or group of words is flashed on a screen by a tachistoscope, the image thereof will remain in the eye of the reader for a sufficient time to be understood. After accommodating themselves to the group of words to be read, the eyes then move from left to right, to encounter the next set of words to be read, and this process continues to the end of the line, whereupon the eyes again move as a pair to the left margin of the printed material and repeat a series of fixating, accommodating, and motor movements as described above.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that, for proper speed and comprehension, the eyes must first fix upon any printed word or group of words for such time as is required to achieve recognition thereof. If the eyes do not fix upon the words (or in the case of beginning readers, the letters) with sufficient accuracy, errors in understanding may occur, or the pupil may simply be unable to read. Each act of fixation requires not only detecting and focusing in upon a word or group of words, but also implicitly requires that the correct word or group of words be selected for viewing from among the surrounding reading material.
Next, the eye must move to the next selected word or group of words and repeat the same process. In skilled readers, the processes are performed virtually simultaneously, that is, recognition takes place within a small fraction of a second, the ability to keep the eye in focus on the material is virtually instinctive and the movement is a regular, rapid, rhythmic movement determined largely by habit.
Implicitly, there are variations in performance among skilled readers inasmuch as the words may be of different lengths and degrees of difficulty. Basically, however, the reading speed adjusts automatically to the ease with which the material can be comprehended. With proper training, the eye moves always to the adjacent word or, in the case of good readers, to the adjacent group of words, all without either retreating for a second look or viewing overlapping portions of adjacent words or word groups.
With beginning readers, the same considerations are present insofar as such a beginner may be able only to view, focus on, and comprehend a single letter or syllable at one time. However, with training and experience the eye span is broadened to the point where a separate movement and subsequent fixation is not necessary for each letter, syllable or even each word, because the span of the eye is sufficient to take in as many as several words at one substantially instantaneous time. In such cases, eye movement is to the next group of words, and in the case of skilled readers, the eye automatically passes upon a word group beginning where the last word group stopped.
With increased practice and skill, the eye movements of a reader may be made such that the eyes move laterally along a series of words or groups of words until the end of a line of print is reached, whereupon the eyes move back again to the left margin of the line immediately below, and repeat the sequence. Accordingly, fixation upon one single center of a word or group of words should be definite and rapid, thus permitting the mind to begin absorbing the meaning of the word or word group immediately upon fixation, rather than directing a conscious effort to avoiding "hunting" or wandering of the eye.
It has been found, quite surprisingly, that the ability of some deficient beginning readers or children to fix with accuracy is enhanced by reducing the size of the print rather than enlarging the size thereof. Therefore, according to the present invention, individual words are looked upon by the reader through a series of lenses designed to provide minification of the material as opposed to magnification thereof. Another feature of the invention is presenting and reinforcing a rhythmic sense by providing auxillary indications of a regular rhythm which can be sensed by the reader. This may be accomplished by providing an auditory sensation, such as a metronome, or may be done by having the child manipulate his hands or feet in a rhythmic pattern. By way of example, squeezing and releasing a bean bag, tapping the foot, or the like, will accomplish this purpose.
The foregoing functions are most effectively used in conjunction with a selected reading program which includes an initial series of short words incorporating short vowels, and then moving to blends, including consonant blends. Next, the student moves on to words of more than one syllable. The initial words are simple, and the student works his way along into larger and more complex words having similar characteristics, with tests being administered periodically to determine whether the student has grasped the material previously studied.
The same procedure applies to the reading tempo or rhythm, insofar as the child or student begins reading at a pace which is slow and comfortable for him, with the pace being gradually accelerated so as to increase speed with which the eye may move and to decrease the time necessary for comprehension of each word or word group. It has been found that, by utilizing the principle of initial minification of the reading matter, accuracy of fixation is obtained, and the ability to fix rapidly and accurately in the desired viewing area is greatly increased. Use is made of the rhythmic sense, reinforced by external stimuli, to impart regular and rapid eye movement habits to the reader. The present system has been found especially helpful with problem readers, because it eliminates purely mechanical malfunctions of the visual system, and subsequently properly trains the reader in acquiring proper, and in any case, improved, visual motor function.
Bearing in mind the shortcomings of previous methods of teaching reading, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method for teaching reading to beginning and other students.
Another object is to provide a teaching method which includes using the principle of optical minification as an early step in teaching the reading process.
A still further object is to provide a method of teaching reading which includes permitting the student to view the reading material initially through a minification system of substantial power, followed by the viewing of reading material through lenses of gradually reduced minifying power.
Another object is to provide a method for teaching reading which includes imparting and reinforcing a rhythmic sense by the use of outside stimuli, and which further call for the learning reader to carry out rhythmic movements of one or more of his extremities at a tempo in keeping with that of the eye movements.
Another object is to provide a reading teaching method utilizing the foregoing principles, and further including program material beginning with simple, single syllable words and moving gradually into words of a greater difficulty.
A still further object is to provide a novel apparatus which is useful in teaching the novel reading method.
A still further object is to provide an apparatus for teaching reading which includes a portion for receiving the printed material to be read, and a portion adapted to support a lens for reducing the image size of the reading material received in the apparatus.
Another object is to provide a reading aid which includes means for receiving reading material, and means disposed thereabove for receiving a plurality of lenses of different dioptric power, with such lenses being adapted to reducing to varying extents the size of the image of the print seen by the reader.
The foregoing and other objects are achieved in practice by providing a method adapted to increase the accuracy of sight fixation, by presenting reduced size print images in the initial phase, to increase the accommodation of the eyes to different sizes of print and different widths of material, by training the eye to utilize an increased lateral span, and to impart and reinforce favorable visual motor function habits to the eyes .